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439. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage when setting the weekly rent for social housing, the incomes sources (wages, gross or net, private pension, maintenance payments, social welfare payments, children’s allowance, carer’s support grants, fuel allowance, living alone allowance, and so on) that the AHBs and the councils are permitted to take int…

456. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage why County Kerry is not included in the affordable housing scheme; if it will be included, and when; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35414/25]

457. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will consider establishing a dedicated scheme as part of budget 2026 for local authorities to access funding for the retrofitting or replacement of substandard historical housing stock, perhaps with a trial in Dún Laoghaire and Dublin city, where older stock is widespread; and if he will make a statement …

461. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to examine the cases of persons (details supplied) regarding their application for housing aid for older people grant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35496/25]

468. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the position regarding the tenant in situ scheme for Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council; the number of houses purchased under this scheme to date; if any future funding is proposed to be allocated to this local authority under this initiative; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35691/25]

470. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on social housing PPP bundles 4, 5, 6 & 7 in the context of the decision by the Minister to not proceed with bundle 3. [35715/25]

479. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he intends to review the current tenant purchase scheme to allow council-owned housing secured under the Part V agreements and or AHB properties to be sold as part of any future tenant purchase scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35760/25]

481. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the timelines for the publication of the Gaeltacht planning guidelines; if each Gaeltacht language planning area will be supported to develop its own local housing strategy aligned with these guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34982/25]

484. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his proposals for the Land Development Agency (LDA) to develop its land bank to engage in active land management policies and for the LDA to deliver private housing in appropriate locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35551/25]

486. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to increase the maximum house value limits for the first home scheme for Cork; if the city values to the metropolitan area of County Cork will be extended and particularly the city Dáil constituencies in order that the one set of qualifying criteria applies. [35939/25]

495. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of vacant council houses in Kerry; how soon they will be available for new tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36119/25]

501. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the steps his Department is taking to reduce the rate of vacancy among social houses across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36232/25]

260. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his attention has been drawn to cases whereby school teachers are forced to give up jobs due to being unable to afford accommodation in Dublin; if he has considered supporting the provision of dedicated housing for teachers and other frontline workers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35023/25]

267. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on the rural housing guidelines; and whether any changes to them are expected. [35069/25]

268. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to confirm that local authorities (details supplied) would not deem an application for the housing adaptation grant as incomplete, where outstanding supporting documentation is required, and return it by post along with supporting documentation to the applicant but instead accept the application, retain the docume…

270. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage for an update on his Department’s efforts to establish a unit in the Housing Agency to regulate owners’ management companies to ensure effective governance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35099/25]

271. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration can be given to increasing the property price ceiling for houses in Galway city for which support can be sought from the first home scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35119/25]

112. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if his Department will put in place guidelines to local authorities for the reletting of casual vacancies setting a maximum timeframe within which a house must be relet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34647/25]

113. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he agrees that it is totally unacceptable in a housing crisis for a local authority to take up to one year to relet a residential property; if he will engage with local authorities to ensure the efficiency of their procedures in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34648/25]

115. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding his Department provided for the housing adaptation grants for older people and people with disabilities in the years of 2024 and 2025, in tabular form. [34734/25]

350. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 311 of 29 May 2025 and 311 on 17th of June 2025, the breakdown of the funding allocated to maintaining vacant properties owned by the OPW, broken down by property since they were first vacated; the breakdown of the funding allocated to main…

481. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide an update on the housing aid for older people grant, specifically whether boiler replacements remain eligible under the scheme; and if they are no longer included, the alternative supports that are available to cover such essential upgrades. [33262/25]

486. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 752 of 10 June 2025, if homeowners were prepared to pay the €15,000 contribution per house, whether the group water scheme (details supplied) could then be considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33596/25]

495. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he is aware that Louth County Council has had to limit access to housing adaptation grants and related schemes; if there are plans to provide additional resources to Louth County Council and other local authorities to meet demand for such schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33788/25]

499. Deputy Jen Cummins asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if Oliver Bond flats will be subject to the same rationalisation of the refusal to fund the regeneration of Pearse House; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33821/25]

I was bemused to listen to the Taoiseach painting his housing policy as a success rather than a deep failure. Housing construction, social housing, affordable housing - every one of the targets is being missed, while 4,675 children woke up this morning in emergency accommodation. That will affect them for the rest of their lives but the Taoiseach does not seem to care because rents continue to ris…

I thank the Deputy. There is a record €6 billion being invested in all our different housing policies and only in recent weeks the Minister for housing secured additional funding, so we are doing everything we can to support not just the development of new homes, the bringing back of homes into stock and the development of social housing, but also to support every person to be able to purchase or …

All politics is indeed local. Not a week goes by without me using the Oireachtas line to make inquiries on behalf of the constituents I represent in Kildare South. Increasingly, the responses from that line have become much more frustrating. I am not sure where we are going with this particular utility, who is in charge and where the funding will come from. That is the first response to constituen…

I will carry on from where Deputy O'Connor left off, about whether notices should be issued about the consumption of water. There are other Deputies from Cork North-Central in the Chamber. I know that some Deputies have brought in samples of water in the past. It clearly is not a reliable source of drinking water at the moment. While we cannot blame people for not taking the risk, Irish Water stil…

I have listened with interest to all the comments throughout the day. If there is anyone from Irish Water listening, I will not take from their woes or suggest it is better than what has been suggested. However, I preface my remarks by saying my engagement with the Irish Water representatives on the ground, when it comes to dealing with local, small issues, has been quite positive. That is against…

I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on this debate today. I sit on the Business Committee, and I have been seeking this debate for five weeks. It has taken a hell of a long time to get here. I mean absolutely no disrespect to the Minister of State, but the senior Minister should be here. The huge issue of wastewater and Uisce Éireann - whatever aspect of it we want to talk about - is a …

I thank Uisce Éireann for coming in to meet me recently. It was a very good and informative meeting. I understand that it plays a critical role in managing one of the most essential services that we all rely on every day. Uisce Éireann had a huge portfolio when it began ten years ago, including the treatment of infrastructure and environmental standards. It is really doing its best. However, since…

I thank the Acting Chair. It is time we stopped pretending that we were caught by surprise with these tariffs. Over the past year, it has been crystal clear that Donald Trump was on fast track to the White House and with him the threat of escalating trade tensions, protectionism and tariffs which could hit Ireland right between the eyes. What was this Government response? It was nothing - no plann…

Trump’s trade tantrum is having a real world impact, just one week after that bizarre event in the White House Rose Garden where an American President held up what looked like a bookmaker’s betting board as he gambled away the world economy in service of his own ego. It is quite bizarre that the country that has done the most to design the current global world economic order is now set on destroyi…

What we are seeing in the world economy right now is a historic turn-away from free trade and globalisation to protectionism, but it is a trend that has been under the surface for some time. The context for this is that post 2008 when the financial system collapsed and capitalist growth slowed, there has been an economic malaise in general and increased competition between the US and China. The mu…

Housing is absolutely the single greatest issue facing my generation. There is no doubt about it. I appreciate the Taoiseach acknowledged the seriousness of the issue. While it is so important that we get that increased and record level of investment, the delivery is key and that is where my concern remains, that Uisce Éireann will be able to do this on time and with a sense of urgency. I also tak…

Young people are despairing. They are giving up hope that this country will ever provide them with the fundamental need and human right of a home. The people we need - nurses, teachers, doctors, tradespeople and therapists - have emigrated because of the lack of affordable housing. At a housing summit yesterday, Sherry FitzGerald said it is likely that just 25,000 homes will be built this year. Th…

I thank Sinn Féin for giving us the opportunity to talk about water, which is the most important item a community, population or country needs. All my life, I have worked with water services in Kerry County Council, as my father and my uncles did before me. My family are now involved in doing work for Irish Water in different places from time to time. Water is very important. We know how angry pe…

To deal with the topic at hand. As the Minister, Deputy Browne, has stated, we are opposing this Bill because the introduction of the household water conservation charge is not in the programme for Government. It will not be introduced. That is categorical. By way of background, the legislation to implement water charges was contained in the Water Services Act 2014, which was repealed by the Wate…

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 39 and the name of the Member in each case: Deputy Michael Cahill - To discuss rural planning guidelines, area plans and family homes. Deputy Séamus McGrath - To discuss driver licence reciprocal arrangements Deputy Eamon Scanlon - To discuss the daily transport charge for people w…

The Deputy made practical points and suggestions. I suggest that he follow up on his detailed proposals directly with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, and Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. In my own role in the Department, I am over housing for the elderly in the context of local authorities. I will respond to the Deputy's point about An Bord Pleanála. Under the new Planning and Development Ac…

What engagement has the Minister had with the Central Bank regarding tax incentives and other demand-side measures for housing and will he make a statement on the matter, particularly in light of what appears to be the Governor of the Central Bank pouring cold water on the latest apparently back-of-the-envelope policy on housing from the Minister for housing? It is reported that the Minister, Depu…

I reject the Deputy's assertions in respect of that matter. What she outlined relates to CSO and Central Bank data that was already in the public domain and that as debated in the Dáil on the day it was published by her colleague Deputy Doherty and the then Minister for housing, Deputy O'Brien. There were lots of projections across the public domain, and the Government obviously said it was disapp…

There is a clear process we have to follow and the Deputy is well aware that, if I did not follow it, he would be standing opposite telling me I had done this and that and had not followed the proper procedure. Fourteen properties went to Tipperary County Council for social housing. Eight residential units in Dublin city centre were leased to housing agencies. A building in Crumlin was leased to …

I thank the Minister of State for being here to take this Topical Issue. I represent one of the youngest and fastest-growing constituencies in the State in Fingal West. Many of my constituents are served by the train, which runs alongside the side of my constituency, and some by bus. Unfortunately, for my constituents, most of the existing transport routes only bring them in to town. They need dyn…

We are in the midst of a housing crisis that is worsening month by month. It is the actions of this Government, its refusal to listen to experts and its insistence that the market will provide that has accelerated this crisis so rapidly. All we see from this Government is its head in the sand as it refuses to admit the market has failed. These actions have failed rural Ireland so severely on hous…

Is léir do gach duine go bhfuil éigeandáil tithíochta ann. Caithfidh mé súil ar ghné amháin toisc go bhfuil roinnt de m’am imithe. If the Government regarded this as a housing emergency, it would be funding regeneration projects to the hilt to make sure that those public sites would have public, social and affordable housing. We now have a situation where the Dublin City Council CEO has said he i…

The Taoiseach has spoken about building 300,000 houses over the next few years and I wish him luck in that. The facts are at the moment that 85% of the towns of Ireland do not have capacity to provide extra water for new housing. We know the budget that Irish Water is working with. Its ten-year plan is to bring the network up to specification under EU regulations and is based on approximately 30,0…

The previous Government introduced a waiver scheme for people who were building first-time homes. It included council charges plus Uisce Éireann charges. On 31 December 2024, this was stopped. When this was introduced, it set out all the principles and achieved the objective of speedier activation of planning permissions by the development sector. It also escalated planning permissions that had be…

At a time of crisis, this national parliament has a duty to show leadership to the country. I recall the unity we have found in this House in moments of crisis and economic challenge. We came together and pulled together during Covid-19 and the Brexit times. The context we now face is a potential global trade war, which will not be without consequence for Ireland. I have every confidence that this…